About Manus Du Plessis

Everything in the world has beauty if you know how to look at it. Since I was young I was more interested in fiction than reality, but what it taught me was the correct way to look at the world - with curiosity and imagination, not with fear. Since then I've discovered that the saying is true: fact is stranger than fiction. So, fact is what I will write about then.

I'm a Business Analyst by profession in the IT sector, but I enjoy writing because I believe we all have perspectives and ideas to contribute that we can learn from.

Usually, manufacturing or construction is all about cost-efficiency. Then comes along a mad scientist who will prove to the world that they’ve got it all wrong! A crazy idea is born and demonstrated – which of course upsets a lot of people. Soon, the villagers come knocking with their torches and pitchforks to deal with this new threat to their old ways of thinking and doing things!

The only thing in the world that can make you rich overnight – or get you fired for some personal comment on your Facebook page. Social media is infamous for its power to promote or punish. We all like to keep in touch with our friends. Whether boasting about that wild weekend party, or how you can’t believe your boss handled a situation at work. We share the good, the bad, and the ugly. But there’s a difference between sharing a story over a barbecue and sharing it online.

When we read the stories of how drones could revolutionize business, we got excited. Perhaps drones could deliver goods at lower costs than traditional of minimum-wage delivery boys. How about fire-fighting drones that save firemen lives. But what did we get instead? Capitalism – of course!

Just to make sure you know what we mean by “Death of the Mall”, a short intro; Online shopping and “mobile retail” became the bane of physical shops and malls. Seph Lawless’s coffee-table book “Black Friday” will take you through a virtual tour of an example. This is old news to many people. But when will the hunter, again become the hunted? What will dig a grave for online shopping or mobile retail?

We’re talking about a power that has no leader, no borders, no single agenda or philosophy – a power that is truly hard to define. A power that made impact. A power that made history. The best way to explain this, is to talk about the group called “Anonymous”.